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Ijaw Vow to Attack River Niger Dredgers

Vanguard (Lagos)
NEWS
September 28, 2004
Posted to the web September 28, 2004

By Azu Akanwa

MOVES by the Federal Government to resume dredging of the River Niger may hit a
brickwall as the Ijaw in the area have vowed to attack the dredgers on grounds
that the Federal Government's move posed environmental hazard to the region.
Coordinator of the Ijaw Monitoring Group, Comrade Joseph Evah in a signed
statement said the dredging was meant to sink the riverine communities that are
already submerged during raining season.
He dismissed last week's promise by President Obasanjo that work would soon
resume on the project which primary objective according to him (Obasanjo) is to
facilitate the establishment of Inland Ports in the North.
Comrade Evah who was also the former Publicity Secretary of Ijaw National
Congress (INC) said the Federal Government which he alleged deliberately killed
the Burutu, Warri, Sapele and Koko sea ports "has no moral right to spend over
N50 billion of Niger Delta people oil money to construct an artificial sea port
in Baro, Niger State.
"For equity and justice, government should bring the dead Niger Delta sea ports
back to life and develop the railway system to our ports to boost economic
activity between the Niger Delta and the rest of the Country."
The Ijaw activist said that President Obasanjo's promise amounts to
lawlessness, considering the fact that he filed a lawsuit in court since the
military era to stop the dredging and the matter is still pending at the
Federal High Court, Abuja.
According to Evah, "the Ijaw have the capacity to check any lawlessness from
the Federal Government. The President should not use the Odi episode to
underrate the Ijaw; we want to remind him that the Odi matter was between area
boys and soldiers but the dredging is the battle for the soul of the Niger
Delta region. We have mobilized our people in the area as usual to attack any
dredger."
He urged the international community to call the Federal Government to order to
avoid more bloodbath in the Niger Delta, adding that President Obasanjo's
provocative statement coming at a time the Northern Governors allegedly
insulted the Niger Delta people over oil dichotomy confirms the conspiracy
against the region.
On the order given by President Obasanjo that the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) should retrieve the N1.5 billion collected by the dredging
contractors without doing any job, Comrade Evah said the order amounts to
hypocrisy. Evah further stated: "I challenge the President to release the probe
panel on PTF. I assure Nigerians that President Obasanjo will be the first
casualty."

   

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